Secretary warns U.S. grid needs transmission and firm capacity; says batteries provide minutes, not days, of storage

Secretary Wright told a Paris audience that, despite large increases in U.S. oil and gas production over two decades, the country "barely produce[s] more electricity today than we did 20 years ago," and he urged faster expansion and better use of transmission capacity.

He described electricity's operational constraints: delivering firm power at peak demand matters more than total 'electrons on the grid' at any moment. Citing a recent cold spell, Wright noted large natural‑gas draws to keep homes warm and said wind, solar and batteries were limited at peak moments in some regions: "At the very peak demand time in New England, wind, solar, and batteries were 2% of New England electricity."

Wright also said the total of U.S. batteries—"including in all the electric cars"—can store grid output for only "3 or 4 minutes," stressing that batteries are more useful for shaving the highest peaks than for long‑duration energy storage.

On transmission, Wright supported reconductoring existing lines to increase capacity within existing rights-of-way and described transmission buildout as politically and technically slow: "It's so easy to stop something. It's so hard to build something."

He described a pragmatic approach—build lines that debottleneck regions, focus on cost‑effective projects and avoid subsidizing low‑value remote generation—without endorsing a specific national transmission plan.

Next steps: Wright highlighted policy priorities—permitting reform, targeted transmission investment and measures to ensure firm generating capacity during peak demand—but offered no specific federal funding commitments.